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The dull light of my laptop screen was the only light shining in my small apartment, casting reflective shadows across the walls.
My fingers move quietly over the keyboard, looking up for every file, every lead, every little bit of information I can find on Lorenzo Santini and what his relationship with my brother, Victor was.
But no matter how deep I dig, the truth remains very far away from me, just out of reach, slowly slipping through my fingers like dust.
Victor is out there somewhere. Alive. Or at least, I have to believe he is. I lean back against the chair, breathing out slowly as frustration creeps tightly into my chest.
The documents staring in front of me are nothing but dead ends. Mention of his names in encrypted messages, rumors linking him to Santini's shady and underground dealings.
But nothing really strong to prove that. Nothing that tells me why he disappeared or what Xavier or Santini had to do with him.
I rub my hands over my messy hair, my mind racing with different possibilities. If Santini has Victor, then it means one of two things—either he is being used as a pawn, or he is already serving whatever twisted purpose they had for him.
But neither of those options settled well within me. The soft ping of an incoming message from my phone immediately drifts me away from my thoughts.
I glance down at my phone, the glow of the screen revealing a simple text from an unknown number;
Meet me at Vetra Hotel. 9 PM. Dress elegant and sexy for me.
It had no name, no explanation. But I didn't need one to know who it was.
Xavier Moretti.
I look through the message, my pulse steady even as my mind starts running through different possibilities. He has been testing me ever since the day I walked into his world.
He's been pushing boundaries, setting traps for me, even forcing me to prove myself in ways that feel both dangerously personal.
This wasn't just the normal boss and assistant relationship, this was more than that.
I tap my fingers against the desk, planning what my next move should be. Xavier isn't the kind of man who just invites someone out for no reason.
If he wants me to be there, it definitely means something. And if I refuse? That would be an answer from me to him itself.
No.
I can't afford to let my emotions get in the way and back down from this.
I push back from my desk and head to the closet, my fingers trailing over my nearly arranged dresses to decide which one to go with.
"Dress sexy for me," he said. I smirk slightly. He expects me to play my part, to fit in perfectly into whatever world he is trying to pull me into.
Fine by me then.
Let the game continue.
**********************************
The moment I walk into the lobby of Vetra Hotel, it's like the weight of a hundred eyes watching me.Power drips from the ceiling like honey, slow and thick, shielding every man dressed in suit and women draped with nothing but diamond.
All that could be heard was the hums of quiet conversations, and secret negotiations, this was a world where dark deals are sealed with only a look, betrayal hidden under hypocritical smiles.
I walk with purpose, my black dress hugging every part of my curve, my heels clicking against the polished floor in perfect rhythm.
Confidence was a weapon in places like this, and tonight, I would be needing every single one I can get.
Xavier was seated near the bar, his posture relaxed,but his gaze on me sharp as a blade. He is dressed in black suit, elegant and effortless. The top button of his shirt undone, looking as if he owned the place.
As if he owned me.
He can believe whatever he wants to, but I knew I never belonged to anyone, let alone Xavier Moretti.
"Elena," he stands up to greet me, his voice smooth as silk, laced with something deeper, Something…passionate.
His eyes drool all over me, glueing to me in a way that sends heat shivers down my skin.My mind flashes back to last night.
The feeling of his hands holding my waist, the way his lips branded my skin, leaving me breathless and furious all at once.
After what happened between us, had promised myself that it was nothing more than a mistake. That it meant nothing. But the way he's looking at me now?
He remembers every second of it. And with that look of his, he knows I also remember it too.
"You look sexy ," he says, his lips curving in amusement.
I slightly move my head, giving him a slow but steady reply. "So do you. But I assume we're not here to tell each other how sexy we both are."
His smirk deepens, dark and devious. "Well, that depends on how this night will end for the both of us."
The sound of his voice alone is a magnet, forcefully drawing me in towards this dangerous attraction I was trying to avoid.
I swallow the response on my tongue and force myself to focus. What happened last night is definitely not happening again, Not tonight.
He leads me toward a private lounge, where a group of men sit around a glass table, their expensive suits and dangerous expressions telling me exactly what kind of power they had.
These were no ordinary businessmen. They were sharks, waiting to devour their prey,And Xavier was their king.
"Gentlemen," Xavier starts, his voice cutting through the silence like a knife. "This is my new personal assistant, Elena Carter.
She will be the one handling all the details of our deal tonight." Every set of eyes turns to me, scanning, calculating my every move.
I meet their stares without fearing, trying to keep my expression neutral and composed. One man, older, with the mixture of salt and peppered hair, a scar running down his cheeks, leans forward.
"Xavier, you have never brought any woman to these meetings. What makes her special?" But he doesn't even blink. "She's the only one who can handle me and my world."
The man smirks, unimpressed by everything he was looking at about me.
"We'll see about that." He shoots back at Xavier.
The meeting immediately starts off with different talks of offshore accounts, shipments and high stakes investments filling the air, but I hear more than just words.
I watch Xavier, the way he spoke and waked control, the way they all try to measure themselves against him but never to reach his level. Every word to him is a move on a chessboard, and he plays it flawlessly.
But my focus shifts especially as Xavier's attention keeps focusing on me. Not just in little glances, but in the way he taps his fingers against the table, the way his expression changes whenever someone else talks to me.
The meeting finally reaches its end, but just as quickly as I was about to get up, Xavier stretched out his hands, dragging me back down, he leaned in.
His lips brushing against my ear, his voice low enough for only me to hear.
"I love every bit of what happened last night between us,Elena" A uncontrollable shiver runs through me before I can even stop it.
"What happened last night was nothing but a mistake ," I shot back at him, focusing my eyes on the other men in the room.
He chuckles, and I feel it more than I hear it. "That's a lie." He responds. I turn my head slightly, my lips just inches away from his.
"I try not to mix business with pleasure ."
His eyes immediately drop to my lips, his fingers sliding into my dress, quietly yet intentional.
"That's another lie."
My breath stops for a moment. The room, the meeting, the men talking just miles away from me— it all faded within a second..
Drowned out by the heat of the moment between us. I hate that he knows how I feel whenever he touches me. He knows every single thing I feel with his touch.
He leans closer to me, his lips almost touching mine. "Tell me you don't want it to happen again tonight."
I try to force myself to pull away. To remind him that this was not the place nor the time to do this.
But I don't.
And in one reckless moment, our lips touched and I almost let him kiss me. But then… everything changed.
A shift In the atmosphere. Sweat dripping down the back of my neck. I look up, my instincts tightening around my chest. A shadow moving on the rooftop across the street.
The glitter or something metallic— My stomach drops, someone was coming for… for
"Xavier—"
A loud shot rings out instantly, glass shattering as the screams of people were the only thing heard.
Xavier moves fast, pushing me down just as another bullet shoots through the room. My body hits the floor, my heart pounding against my ribs.
His weight covers me, solid and protective, his hand pressing against my back.
"Stay down," he screams at me, reaching to grab the gun under his suit jacket. The whole place is chaos, Security rushes in, men drawing out their weapons as shouts rippled through the room.
I twist my head, scanning through the chaos to try to know who was shooting through the roof, my mind racing with so many unanswered questions.
Was this a setup? Did someone know that we would be meeting here tonight ?
In an instant the realization slammed into me like a fast moving train.
Someone targeted Xavier tonight in order to kill him.
I might be the next person on his list.